>> every morning from 5 to 9am al jazeera america brings you more us and global news than any other american news channel. find out what happened and what to expect. >> start every morning, every day, 5am to 9 eastern with al jazeera america. >> this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i'm tony harris with a look at today's top stories. growing new tensions in ukraine. armed men take control of airports. and ukraine accused russia of mounting an invasion. tens of thousands of documents released detailing the inner workings of the clinton white house. and rising waters force police to close roads, but it's a welcome sight to ease the drought. inside supreme court arguments posted online.

>> ominous development developme ukraine. heavily armed men described as russian soldiers took up positions at airports and at a cost guard base in the crimea region. ukraine accusing russia as invading its territory. jennifer glass is live for us in the crimea capitol. jennifer, who are these armed men at the airport? who are they taking their orders from? >> reporter: they won't talk about who they are. tonight we have a new development. the air space in crimea is

closed. no flights going in or out for the next 24 hours. we're not sure who these men are. there are no insignia on their uniforms. there are no license tags on their trucks. no identifying marks, paperwork, passes. if you ask them they won't say who they are. but we understand that they are russian troops. ththere is reports that as manys 2,000 russian troops may have come in the region in the last 24 hours. >> jennifer, i have to ask. i wonder if there has been any reaction to these armed men. to these developments over the last day or so at the airport, and yesterday, the russian essentially war games along the border. any reaction? >> reporter: actually, many

crimeanians are happy about the men at the airport. they said they don't know who they are, but they're glad they're here. the majority of people are ethnic russian. most people speak russian, they look to the east, and they find comfort in this. they have been very alarmed about what is happening in kiev. they've seen weeks and weeks of opposition leaders in kiev and now the new government are fascist, criminals, bandits, so there are a lot of worry. check points, we have seen militias being formed people saying they need to protect their homes, their families. to many crimean, the russians are a comfort. >> you see russian helicopters flying over, and ultimately does it make it more likely that

crimea, this peninsula, could actually split from ukraine? >> well, we haven't been hearing words about secession yet, tony. there is a youtube video of an military airport about an hour from here. we have not heard talk of secession. they already have their own parliament and prime minister. i asked what more do they want? interestingly they said taxes. a lot of the tax gas to ukraine proper. they want to see better roads, schools, everything that we see elsewhere in the world, better autonomy. i haven't heard the word secession heard yet but they would like to be as close to russia as they always been. this has been a part of ukraine since 1954, and they really feel that russia is their closest

ally. >> the crimeans worried about pocketbook issues. thank you. in washington secretar secrf state john kerry urged all parties not to inflame the situation. >> we urge all parties, that includes the new interim technical government, rightists, oppositionists, others, anybody in the streets that are arm, we urge all parties to avoid all steps that could be misinterpreted or lead to miscalculation or do anything to work, to bring peace and stability, and peaceful transition within the governing process of ukraine. >> the white house is also keeping a close eye on the situation in ukraine. >> we're not going to speculate

about what we might do if something might happen. we're going to focus on the kinds of communication we're having right now, and focus on the international 1969 to assist ukraine. >> as the reportedly russian-backed soldiers took up their positions in crimea, former ukrainian president viktor yanukovych, was holding a news conference in southern russia. he insists he is still president of the country. >> i repeat it over again. i'm the elected president of ukraine, and i remain the legitimate president of ukraine. >> philty nery joins us live, and the country is moving on without yanukovych. what is he saying? he wants to return to ukraine?

>> reporter: he's very critical of those who are the sitting government in kiev. he even called them fascists. but it's not just those in kiev that he's critical of. he squared off against western powers and blamed them for this crisis. >> i fully take responsibility upon those who brought our country to this crisis. and i will say to this disaster, they are to blame for that. those who now are in power and those who in maidan. visible and invisible behind the scenes. also the west, the united states

of america, who are patrons of maidan. >> reporter: now that falls in line from what we're hearing from the kremlin and moscow. those sources are saying what is happening in ukraine is nothing short of a coup d'etat. >> we're approaching a clear stand off here. maybe we can step back. let me ask you this, why is ukraine important to russia? and is ukraine important enough to west, including the united states, where we could actually see an escalation of these tensions? >> reporter: tony, ukraine falls in an incredibly important strategic location between east and west. there are a number of geopolitical matters that are important to ukraine, not least of which the pipeline of gas that comes from russia to

europe, and europe gets an awful lot of its energy from russia via that pipeline. now for the russians, it's not just economic. it's not geopolitical. it is cultural. this is the birthplace of the russian state. this is where the russians began or what would eventually become the russians began their campaign to free themselves from the monguls back in centuries ago. so there is a cultural tie there. this all comes back in many ways to this fight between the west and the east. and there is just very strong sentiment from vladimir putin in particular, that he wants to re-establish an eurasiaen power, with a political system. this territory. this patch of ground is just located in such an area, tony, that it is fought over for

centuries, and it remains a question whether it's european or russian. >> thank you. we'll bring that into sharp relief in just a moment. phil ittner for us in russia. and we'll look at how the ukraine history is effecting the current crisis. >> before we take a look at the peninsula, let's look at centuries ago. long holding influence over the entire geographical area of ukraine that did not become a republic after world war ii. that's when it became what we know as ukraine, the western part pro-europe and the eastern part pro-russian. now the attention of the world has been focused in the west n kiev. that's where you find the

ukrainians who want closer ties to west europe. they are the one who is held demonstrations against ousted viktor yanukovych. but the focus today is on eastern ukraine and the crimea peninsula. that's where they had long historic ties to russia. in fact, since the 1700s for you history buffs when katherine the great conquered the tatars and claimed this area for mother russia. >> they have the hold on the black sea, but some of that reaction may be overblown. russian military presence is nothing new because russia has had a key navy base there for centuries. >> reporter: the black sea fleets has been the pride of the russian navy since peter the great founded it. the flagship, so to speak, the pride.

of the navy. it's not necessary militarily for them. there have always been contingencies plans to move to other parts of the black seacoast if necessary, but i think it would be a very severe blow to russian pride to have to do that. >> now a question after all that history and all that recent conflict is which way will the ukraine go, and another question, who ultimately is in charge there? >> thank you. the u.s. said al-qaeda may use a pullout from afghanistan to rebuild its operation there. military intelligence officials say the group's leaders have been bringing in experienced militants. officials say they have stepped up drone and missiles strikes in eastern afghanistan. and that a pullout could jeopardize those efforts. thousands of documents were declassified today giving an inside look from the clinton white house. they come from the clinton

presidential library, and they cover a lot of ground. mike viqueira has been working through these papers today. there is something a bit interesting relating to a conversation between then president clinton and then and current prime minister of pakistan oma omar shariff. >> it was december 18, 1998 to be exact. just to take you back to what was happening on that day. the house of representatives was in the process of impeaching bill clinton. the speaker of the house quit, and operation desert fox just under way. you remember the clinton operation launching tomorrow hawks after hussein there. you mentioned pakistani prime minister sharif, and tony blair

of the u.k. he told tony blair osama bin laden may be ordering attacks in the next couple of days. and then according to prime minister sharif, president clinton said i need your help. osama bin laden is planning a strike against the united states very soon, to target the united states, perhaps in 48 hours. this comes just a few months, in may of 1998 that tarnac farms incident. when the c.i.a. offered a plan to take out osama bin laden, they pulled the plug here at the white house, janet reno thought it was all too risky. >> for sure. mike viqueira for us at the white house. mike, appreciate it. thank you. doctors without borders say lives are at risk in myanmar

after the government moved to expel the organization. the decision came after th treag muslim victims. doctors without borders said they were deeply shocked about the decision after two decades of work in the southeast asian nation. parts of the state is expected to see ten inches. mandatory evacuation orders were issued above los angeles over fears of landslide. and drought and land fires have severely effected vegetation on the hills since january. in 1969 91 people were killed in island slidelandslides in that . >> reporter: this is a wild storm, tony. take a look at the radar behind me. you can see the moisture pushing off the pacific. the area of low pressure

bringing in gusting winds. we had a severe storm warning around fresno california along i-5. it's not going to get better tonight into tomorrow. in san bernardino, california, we're looking at flash flood warnings in effect currently, and they're right to the south of the san gabriel yel mountain. we're looking at up to 10 inches of rain in portions of southern california. we're monitoring this closely through the day, but we have to tell that you this system is not going to end in california. it's going to push in nevada and the central plains and it will bring the threat of snow up to a foot of snow across portions of kansas and the northeast. it will be very dangerous out there, slippery on the roadways. and it feels like minus 17 in minneapolis right now.

an on the east coast it will make its way to us as well. hard to believe the temperatures were in the 60s just a couple of days ago. >> yeah, i remember. thank you. this year's frigid temperatures have hit michigan's agriculture sector really hard. it's known as the nation's fruit basket, and their win wine graps have taken a beating. >> reporter: at the winery in michigan the assembly line is clinking along. while all is well inside the winery, the vineyards outside tell a different story. >> with the extreme cold temperatures, we know there will be a lot of bud injury .

>> taking cross parts of buds that are dead and which are viable. >> that does not look alive. >> reporter: while it's not the first place you think of when you think of wine it is big business here. >> well to michigan. where the four seasons and great lakes smile on the winemaker. >> reporter: the state is home to 100 commercial wineries, attracting 2 million agri-tourists each year. the industry generates $300 million for the state annually but this year's frigid temperatures may have long-lasting impact on the thriving wine business. >> we can get down to minus 15 and even minus--even colder than

that and be okay. but for wine grapes, the threshold is much warmer near zero. >> some grapes can survive subzero temperatures. >> what we're also concerned about is the bud dying but the wood itself, the plant itself. it gets too cold it will kill the plant, and the growers will have to replant. >> just 60 miles north at the sun valley vineyard in michigan geography has spared the plants and may help insure a decent crop. >> sun valley is at the widest part at the lake. these cold fronts we tend to be buffered from the north and the south because of our position at the widest point of the lake. >> reporter: even with a loss of 15% to 50% of the buds, sun valley is on target for a good yield. but for other growers it may be too early to tell. still, wine growers are used to

the unpredictable weather and say pessimists need not apply. >> coming up on al jazeera america, a secret recording giving a look inside the supreme court. that's not supposed to happen. we will have the tape for you: and how muslim and jewish leaders are working together to calm public outcry over the mosque in the heart of the bible belt.

>> this is a rare unprecedented look inside the supreme court. a protest group secretly recorded court arguments and posted the video online. roxanne is saberi. >> cameras are not supposed to be allowed. >> banned, right? >> but two activists managed to get one in earlier this week. they posted the never before seen videos online. these images are shaky, you can

hardly hear the justices. but an activist criticizes the justices. >> then you see the courtroom personnel hustling newkirk. he spent the night in jail. he pleaded not guilty and could face 60 more days behind bars but told me it was worth it. >> that was historic, and that we think the supreme court session should be viewable to the public in the 21st century. but with most historic and what needs to be focused on is corruption of democracy that has reached a crisis level, and the supreme court has played a huge and shameful role.

>> i reached out to the supreme court, and a spokeswoman there told me court officials are in the process of viewing the video and courtroom screening procedure. he tells me he passed through security just like everyone else, but he would not tell me how he got the camera in. and people may b i asked if thed that people might be able to get things that are more dangerous in? she would not reply. >> appreciate it. thank you. months after it officially open there had is still a lot of opposition to a mosque in tennessee. but a public outcry has created a partnership between two religious minorities. >> reporter: every day begins and ends with prayer. for the second time ever rasheed and his fellow muslims embark to

house of worship, men, women, young and old. they all travel from their nashville mosques to a jewish temple on the other side of town. >> we want to build a generation of muslims and jews who work together and work for the betterment of our community he here. >> reporter: the coming together of the two relationship groups come as the muslim community faces new local challenges over its two-year-old mosque. before it even opened its dues it was met with opposition. vandals spray painted not welcome on the side. and now opponents are taking their fight to the u.s. supreme court saying the public did not get adequate notice that a mosque would be built. the nashville rabbi show that the two religious communities share common goals, protecting their first amendment right

while fighting radicalism. >> it's rare at the buckle of the bible belt in nashville, tennessee, and even more rare give the conflict that has gone on around the mosque. >> reporter: the muslim community says the backlash has strengthened their faith. >> what is right will prevail. no one can go up against the american constitution and win. radicalism and racism only goes one place in history, to the trash. >> it is built upon the idea of rarabbi leading the the co the n to do what is right.

>> they hope their congregations can be a role model for their community, the world, and for generations to come. al jazeera, nashville. >> another record on wall street. the s&p 500 gained five points to set the second straight all all-time high. reports of ukraine cut into today's rally. consumer spending lead to go a slow down, make the commerce department reports the economy expanded at 2.4% annual rate in the fourth quarter. the previous estimate was 3.2%. some economists point to go bad winter weather as a reason for the pull back. and the japanese bitcoin exchange has gone bust. the company is filing for bankruptcy after glitches

interrupted. and 800,000 bit coins have gone missing. really? those are worth almost $500 million. and coming up on al jazeera america, a widespread corruption scandal in turkey may have serious implications for the u.s.

>> in turkey the last suspects linked to corruption, and may make troubles for the countries' diplomatic efforts. >> reporter: with more corruption allegations swirling around the government the main

opposition party, the chp, has plenty to work with. >> the primary shoul prime minid step down. >> we're going through dictatorship at the hands of the prime minister. we will stand against it. we will not be defeated. we will not give in. >> after monday's leak of audio recordings showing the prime minister and his sons hiding millions of dollars in cash, many backed up their leader saying the recording is a fake. >> it's a clear montage. if the prime minister asked we could check the recording, but it's very clear. >> but the government is clearly worried, replacing inscription software and it's winning battles in the general assembly, defeating the opposition to pass two controversial new laws. one makes it easy for the

government to shut down internet sites it doesn't like and more control over the judiciary. >> reporter: local and presidential election will test if they still have the confidence of the people. regaining the confidence of the international community will prove much harder. which is why the government will be happy with the english language pro-government paper. >> reporter: they athere are too many accusations against the government to create a cover up forever. >> on december 21st 26 people were arrested to corruption linked to a state owned bank.

erdogan reflected blame saying a muslim cleric in pennsylvania was orchestrating the opposition. and january 30th, the turkish government assigned police officers involved in the investigation. how threatened is prime minister erdogan with this seemingly growing scandal? >> he's threatened seriously by it. his popularity has sank about 20% from its all-time high from several years ago, 50%. and the economy, as you just heard, particularly in international investments and the value of the turkish lira have both suffered. that's a problem pore erdogan going into elections. >> reporter: we talked about erdogan singling out the u.s. for criticism. what kind of shape is the u.s.-turkey relationship in at

this particular point? >> it's in better shape specifically because president obama has talked to the prime minister, various officials, including deputy secretary of state bill burns, who just went out there, made it clear that we will not tolerate this. we understand the problems erdogan has. while there is much evidence pointing to this corruption there is also no doubt that the cleric that you mention and his movement have considerable control over the judiciary and the police. while the evidence they revealed in the arrests they made may be legitimate, the modus for them doing it at that time and trying to put erdogan under pressure raises questions as well. so we have two issues, one, playing by the rules. >> and the problems with the erdogan government at this moment in time, and maybe it would be good to step back, and have you days the question of why it is such a good u.s. ally

in that particular part of the region. >> from the ukraine, we hear about to iraq, iran, syria, lebanon, the places of mass turkey is by far the most stable by far. it is the middle income state and the first muslim country that will become 100% literate. it's booming, one of the biggest economies in the world. it is a n.a.t.o. ally and e.u. member state, and member of the cuss items unit with the e.u. it is unlike any state in the region. it is important. >> the passing of bills, restricting the internet and tracking users, exerting more control over judges and prod cuters. this is all a way of try to

contain this scan doll. but in doing so is he confirming the view of a growing, rising authoritarian. >> absolutely. that is not as important to him as it is to slap down a coup. he feels that they're not playing by the rules, so he'll take them to the rules. >> and if the u.s. is viewing all of this, how does it monitor the situation? what does it say to prime minister erdogan as this is all playing out. >> essentially we moderate because of turkey's problem. we say very little publicly. and at the end of the day turkey remains a democratic country, as you pointed out there were two elections coming up i think its

time to get the turkish government have a say in all of this. >> james jeffrey, former ambassador for occury. thank you for your time. >> thank you. lighters in syria as divisions inside the opposition actually grow wider. president bashar al-assad has held on to power to the last three years, bu? facilities in turkey struggle to keep up, but trying to help children work through their problems and cope with the trauma. >> these children are not misbehaving. they're being encouraged to scream. they come from a war zone and this exercise helps them to

release their emotions. the teacher ask what does the word violence mean. some talk about arguments with with classmates. >> my friends recognized his chest with fireworks. so he burned himself. >> my brother was killed. a shell hit his house. army soldiers came and raided and burned our house. >> then it's time for the children to put their memories and feelings into drawings. the fighting dominate. some want to show me how some handle athletes raids. others show how to fight these groups. and it's a member funded by $25,000 grass from the sash

government stalledders and old trains to provide psychological report. >> our coal is to bletch in the there's of hour feelings, so they gape a sense of control over them, which helps in the coping process. the cells are being suppressed by 65 children. many children are not going to school, and many live extreme circumstances. >> reporter: around 150 children have participated in workshops like this one. some of them are surviving traumatic stress disorder including lack of sleep and eating disorder. they need help. but there aren't enough

psychiatrics, hotels, or even food for the syrian refugee. they may bay for it now, but this will always be part of their lives. >> this just in. we're told president obama will be speaking from the white house press briefing room. he's expected to address the cruise in ukraine, and of course we'll bring you the memor the u. a raids with held in china and 13 babies were rescued. babies were reportedly bought for little more than $3,000. taking down a financial

operation fraud. they arrested 110 people. the ukraine is cracking down on the broiler rooms where traders sell fake stocks to british retirees for emore husband profits. police have found at least 50 victims in the u.k. and in uganda, the world bank decided to postpone a loan because of a recent law making home cementality illegal. it's up to a fifth of husban the country as well. >> it's called one of the toughest anti-gay laws in the world. earlier this week uganda's president signed the controversial act. it said many offenses are punishable with life in prison. now many are not happy.

>> this is a very big move. i think it's a courageous decision, and it shows a bit of a shift, learning about the mistakes they learned in the past by having too extreme a view of what the economy should be, and this is staying that we have to look at the social impact of our policies. >> ends to up $90 million, and worth in total $1.5 million. but uganda relies on foreign aid for up to 40% of its annual budget. this week the swedish foreign minister said they are considering a late package. it's from one of the many donors who say that the funds interfe

interfere. many people here support the new law, and many are slightly baffled by the reaction of the donors. they never made much noise, and the cries of the gay rights play right into the hands of the proponent of the new law. they claim that the west has an agenda to promote homosexuality in uganda. and the new law says that is illegal too and it could be used against any gay rights activists. several were identified by a tabloid this week and now many believe they live in fear from getting lynched. >> while uganda is a great country with values, but to stop

the promotion of homosexuality in our country. >> and it makes them more popular at home. to many the international donors the new law has crossed the line. mall come web, al jazeera, uganda. >> a deadly stand off in florida between a gunman and a swat team. maria has more. >> thanks, tony. a man with a gun outside of a courthouse in florida has died after a two-hour stand off for a swat team. it's not clear of what happened or if he was shot by exercise. law enforcements tries to negotiate with the man. but he took off on foot. a jury will find injury yes kennedy not impaired while

driving. shshe was found slumped over a driving wheel. a man will remain in prison. miranda and her husband are charged with the murder of 42-year-old troy. a judge denied her request to be transferred to another bris saying the international attention to her story has interrupted it's efficiency. debby, wife of representative john dingell will run for her husband's democratic seat. the 87-year-old congressman announced his retirement after shoeing 58 years in the house. and in california a panel of

judges shoo voted to ban t-shirs with the american flag on them. it started four years ago when school officials told students wearing american flag shirts on cinco de mayo to turn them itself or to go home. and they said that the order was a matter of school safety. >> boy, thank you. let's get you to the white house. we're anticipating any moment now that the president of the united states, barack obama, will come to the white house briefing room, and the president will make a statement about ukraine? >> tony, this is a deviling situation. the administration, the white house, the state department very concerned about the military exercises happening on ukraine's border pop the rhetoric has

ramped up substantially over the next 34 hours, and the people here at the white house. they know two cop similar days. jay carney, the spokesman here telling reporters it would be a grave mistake for russia to inteintervene. now with the mixed reports that we've been hearing over the last day from jennifer glass and nick schifrin, it appears there could be malicious or even troops affiliated with russia there in crimea. it's a very situation in the briefing room. >> that's what we're trying to figure out here. we're aware of the military

exercises. the russians are telling us that they're already planned. but now we got that over the last hours now of armed men going into to crimea, and there is another city with another airport, and these armed men have essentially taken control of these two airports, and everybody is trying to figure out who the heck they are, and who are they taking orders from. >> right, and the white house today was very clear. they were asked point blank who are you, who do you know? jake carney referred t to repor. there is no question they're taking it seriously. tony, as far as the exercises within russia, sur guy labarok

telling john senate, i can tell you that behind the scenes that's met with a lot of skepticism. there is no question that shrine is tending a neglectnal. no what you has it been, the united states government has been trying through h to provid, and in particular the crimea, the access of mission administr, and which heard this is not a cold war redo notwithstanding, tony. >> interesting what we see in part, you were talking about the profit a moment ago, and it's theater people particularly to the east of kiev, look, we

understand that the loyalties are divided here. >> yes. >> but we also know that the crimea peninsula are not in love with the others here. they decided on a couple of occasions at the ballot box to stay within ukraine. to stay ukrainian, but they don't necessarily from what i'm understanding from nick and from jennifer, they don't necessarily like the way things have happened in kiev. >> reporter: i think much of what you describe, the cultural division, the language division that exist with the traditions that exist, that's almost secondary here. you talk about the fact that crimea has historically been part of russia. the fact of the matter is once again we have seen the

administration and the president, the secretary of state today referred to an intervention line, a red line, if you will, used by president obama and the administration to ill effect over last year. we don't need to go through history starting with august in syria. the administration painting themselves in a karen using that kind of rhetoric. what happens to your very good ability is what happened if the line is crossed. it's time that he made a forceful statement. >> and if go to that line again, given what you pointed out what happened with syria and the use of chemical webs. i wonder if you go to that line again. this is a very serious, very

grave situation. >> it's sort of--it happened so quickly, tony. the crisis in ukraine has been fesstering those protesters in the square for the past four months and the origins of that is an east-west divide as well with president yanukovych deciding at the last moment to forsake the european union and go with russia. that's when it started to begin with. it's been happening for quite a few months, obviously. there were comments released by russia diplomats. that private, and that victoria has waiving with the secretary of state with horse, which is ironically it was the european union that brought the short

lived power sharing. the u u.s. over the course of te last 24 to 48 hours again really ramping up the rhetoric there is a lot at stake, geopolitically and credibility. we not only think about syria when we talk about the use that have rhetoric and the crossing of the line, but we could go back to russian in its newell programs, and the administration says has not been crossed. >> as we sort of wait for the president here. it gives us a moment to review the events of this particular day. and in southern russia there is the man who says he's still the president of ukraine, viktor yanukovych making remarks in a news conferenceish and then he played questions. let's show a bit of his

interview today. >> i fully take responsibility upon those who are part of this crisis. i would say disaster. they are to blame for that. now they command those who are patrons of maidan. >> with respect to russia and the united states, ukraine, but clearly there you go. there are his comments today essentially suggesting that he would like to move back into the country and resume presidency. i don't know, and maybe you have a sense of this, to what extent he has any support for what he

is talking about from the russian government. >> well, from my van take point either on the north lawn i can't say for sure. but i can tell you, tony, the white house has been asked this very question. what is the standing of viktor yanukovych. there is a word that they keep using, and that's abdicate. president yanukovych in view of the white house has abdicated his responsibility. he has absconded from kiev, and obviously within russia. and therefore the parliament parliament has taken steps to move towards constitutional rule. they arthey now have a care takg government to carry them forward to elections scheduled may 25th. >> i think you're right. >> that's the policy of the u.s. government. president yanukovych is no longer the leader in view of the

united states government of the ukraine. up until a couple of days ago there were pains that as this crisis unfolded at maidan square in kiev, that vice president biden spoke to him nine times. now when he picks up the phone to speak to the ukraine leadership he speaks to the new prime minister put forward by ukrainian parliament. >> we have reports that the u.s. is gravely disturbed by the reports of russian military into crimea. the situation might be further long down the road than we might

even know at this point. samantha power also saying that the united states urges russia to pull back from ukraine's cry mia. >> now there are reports that russian troops or militia, whatever the case may be, and we have to stress the reports that you pointed out from jennifer and nick are still sketchy from that point, but there are reports amid of administration officials who are using that intentionally trying to get one degree of separation were openly declaring that the russians or russian agents or russian militia, however we want to phrase it, have taken over the parliament building, raisin the flag and taken over other vital

portions or places within crim crimea. obviously it points to another delcation sways. they were stepping right up to today where administration officials including what we just heard from samantha power, to outright declaring that this was--these folks were under russian influence and acting under russian orders warning secretary kerry about misinterpretation of russian moves, miscalculations, sending the wrong signals that could lead to miscalculations according to jay carney. hardly veiled. thinly veiled language coming from the administration today. >> we're going to stay with this story. it is an important one. we've been following it for months. mike viqueira is on the story as well. we'll hand things over to our

partners at "inside story." once again, the president due to make remarks in just moments on the tense situation between the united states and russia over ukraine. this is al jazeera america.